Emma Little Pengelly and, right, a still from video footage of a pet cat being mauled by two dogs suspected of being 'blooded' for fighting

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Some sentences handed to people responsible for animal cruelty are “incredibly difficult to comprehend”, the Assembly has been told.

The claim came as a South Belfast MLA said she hears “horrendous cases” in her constituency office on a regular basis including one woman who saw video footage of her cat being lowered into a cage to be ripped apart by the dogs.

Emma Little Pengelly was speaking in the Assembly as it debated a motion to take “urgent further action to tackle animal cruelty including the establishment of an accessible register of those convicted of animal cruelty offences and who have been disqualified from keeping animals”.

The DUP MLA told the chamber: “I have sat in my constituency office over the last number of months and heard horrendous cases. I heard from a cat owner whose cat had gone missing.

“Unfortunately, she had to view footage of her pet being thrown into a cage to dogs and being ripped apart. Anybody who has ever owned an animal such as a cat or a dog knows their personality and what they are like, so that is absolutely heartbreaking and horrifying for any animal owner.

“The hurt is furthered by what seems to be weak sentencing of the perpetrators and the attitude of some of the perpetrators afterwards, when they show no remorse and have not been given a significant sentence. It is incredibly difficult to comprehend some of the sentencing that is set down.”

Speaking after the motion was passed, she added that “there are hundreds of thousands of pet owners and animal lovers across Northern Ireland who are disgusted and frustrated by the lenient sentences handed down to those who abuse animals”.

To tackle the issue, she says Stormont needs “to work to strengthen the law”.

Sinn Féin MLA Oliver McMullan welcomed the call to establish a central register of those convicted of animal welfare offences or disqualified from keeping animals.

But he added: “For this register to be most effective it is important that the information obtained is shared with those who legally sell animals.

“In the last mandate Michelle O’Neill asked the Justice Minister to look at concerns surrounding the sharing of information. This is now a matter for the current Justice Minister to address.”

Green Party leader Steven Agnew MLA also welcomed the move, but slated the DUP over what he said is its failure to tackle animal cruelty in the form of hunting.

He added: “I am dismayed at the hypocrisy of the DUP which continues to ignore the need to prevent cruelty to wild animals through banning hunting with dogs and the use of snares . Dog fighting is also rife in some areas. Puppy farms need to be properly licensed and inspected.

“More needs to be done to across the board in terms of preventing all animal cruelty, not just cruelty to pets. There needs to be appropriate penalties for offenders, more resources for animal welfare officers and a ban on hunting and snares.”